The usual few turned up at the June evening at the clubrooms to find an unusual set-up. A microscope was out with a digital camera on top, lots of wiring, the digital projector, sound equipment and a few other mysterious gadgets. All this arranged by Peter Smith for the evening’s entertainment.

Members had been asked to bring any amber with inclusions they owned for an ‘in depth’ – literally, look and see. I believe just three members responded, but that was enough to be getting along with. What we found in the amber and copal, using microscope, camera and projector, were flies, a spider (see front cover), a beetle, a centipede and another mysterious winged insect. This along with pieces of bark, what looked like seeds and we think air/moisture bubbles.

I have reproduced here, thanks to Peter, a few of the beauties we found – move over David Attenborough – but they really needed to be seen in colour and enlarged on to a screen. It’s quite a thing to see YOUR tiny fly two-feet across in full colour.

This was followed by a film using camcorder and projector of Italy showing the Villa d’Esté at Tivoli, Monte Casino and Pompeii and another of the club’s field trip to the Lake District. The latter included the, now famous views, to those in the know, of the ‘Chairman’s Foot’!

This article first appeared in our Newsletter STONE CHAT Volume 25, No 1 Autumn 2004

This one was seen at the Romford, Mineral, Rock & Fossil Show in February 2009